One of Acting House Speaker Patrick McHenry's first orders of business was to move the Capitol offices for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, both Democrats.
McHenry is currently presiding over the U.S. House of Representatives in a temporary capacity due to eight of his colleagues joining Democrats in voting to vacate Kevin McCarthy and conclude his tumultuous eight-month speakership by a 216-210 vote.
While about half of American adults support McCarthy's ousting, according to a YouGov poll released Wednesday, it has caused speculation as to who could take the gavel. Those who have expressed interest have included Representatives Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, while some Republicans are holding out hope for the slim chance that GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump will entertain the idea.
"With all of the important decisions that the new Republican Leadership must address, which we are all eagerly awaiting, one of the first actions taken by the new Speaker Pro Tempore [McHenry] was to order me to immediately vacate my office in the Capitol," Pelosi said in a statement shared with Newsweek.
She learned of the decision while she was away from Washington, D.C., and in California to pay tribute to Senator Dianne Feinstein, who died last week.
A spokesperson for Hoyer, who served as House Majority Leader during Pelosi's speakership, confirmed the reports to Newsweek. He received the same correspondence as Pelosi and was also told his hideaway would be given to someone else. The spokesperson declined to comment further.
Newsweek reached out to McHenry via email for comment.
Pelosi's hideaway office, which she maintained post-speakership and was located in an area close to House votes, will reportedly be given to McCarthy next week. She also has an office across the street from the Capitol.
"The Speaker pro tempore is going to re-assign H-132 for speaker office use. Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed," reads an email that has circulated and was addressed to Pelosi's staff on Tuesday evening.
Traditionally, hideaway offices and other Capitol spaces are at the discretion of the House speaker. The New York Times reported in 2021 that Pelosi assigned a hideaway to then-Representative Liz Cheney due to the Republican joining the House January 6 committee as vice chairwoman—which subsequently led to her receiving death threats.
Pelosi called McHenry's decision "a sharp departure from tradition," comparing his move to her allowing former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert access to multiple large offices during his tenure between 1999 and 2007.
NPR noted that Pelosi has revoked an office belonging to then-Vice President Mike Pence in 2019, giving it to the White House legislative affairs team.
"Office space doesn't matter to me, but it seems to be important to them," Pelosi said in her statement. "Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter, let's hope they get to work on what's truly important for the American people."
The motive for McHenry, a 10-term congressman from North Carolina, is unknown as he has not publicly commented on the longtime Democratic leaders being evicted. He was a staunch McCarthy supporter, however, and advocated for him to remain speaker, describing the motion to vacate "a disservice to the American people."
Update 10/05/23, 9:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a statement from Nancy Pelosi.
Update 10/05/23, 9:46 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from a spokesperson for Steny Hoyer.
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Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
